First off, the heat was back. Weekend one was just glorious on the temperature, man. Untouched in my many years of attendance. So, this Friday popped up in to the 90's and was less pleasant for sure.
We heard the closing screams of We Don't Ride Llamas, and whooo boy am I glad I didn't hurry up to get in and see them. It was not something I need to be there for from the final tune.
Bailen was great. My comparison to Haim kept popping up in my head, as they played really well together and threw in some excellent harmonies. The weird thing that I did not like was that there was something creating massive bass sounds during the show - like, intentional ones - when no one in the band was obviously doing it. Like, the drummer was drumming, the lead singer had an electric guitar, and the third guy had an acoustic guitar, and yet somehow there was an 808 thrum erupting from the stage during those songs. Offputting. Also, hot AF in the Tito's Tent.
Here, we did half of Oliver Hazard and half of Ethel Cain. Hazard was just as expected - I immediately told my wife that she needs to listen to those guys, because it is just the kind of Americana-ey, pleasant music she would love. Ethel Cain was insane - I had never seen the little Barton Springs stage so full of humanity. And I don't really get why either - she was fine, but nothing about the show was a revelation of amazing proportions. Odd.
Ugh. My friend wanted to go see Lil Yachty, and it was just as terrible as I expected. The crowd's biggest excitement was when he played his snippets of two other people's songs, both of which are like a decade old. Okay, seven years, but whatever. His trippy, fake, wishing-he-was-Tame-Impala stuff is just depressing. I did not enjoy this portion.
We did a few songs from The Moss, but it was meh. Went to grab food instead. Now is when the good stuff kicked in.
Maggie Rogers is a golden goddess. She was just everything that you want out of a show - powerful vocals, great musicians, perfect set-list, a commanding presence on stage, performers who look like they are having fun and loving it too. I really loved it.
My wife cannot comprehend why I would want to see the same band twice right in a row, but The Revivalists killed it again, AND did a completely different show. They opened with "Kid," instead of ending, they played some tunes that they skipped last time like "The Long Con," "Got Love," and "Pour it Out Into the Night," and they covered the imminently rad "High and Dry." If I hadn't seen both shows, I would have been sad about missing out on certain tunes!
Finally, we did Kendrick Lamar. And, well, meh. I've been through all of this before, but he just isn't that terribly interesting to watch perform. Part of that is definitely on me, in that I really only know the lyrics to Good Kid tracks, but even without that, he just kind of stands there and spits, while his weird little pack of dudes marches around behind him on stage. And the tracks go from undeniable bangers to kinda boring and long meanders. If I had been deep into the pit up front, maybe the perspective would have been different, but from half-way back in the crowd, it just never got off the ground. Felt like the abbreviated set from the week before was actually the better one because he just hit us with his best shot.
I am honestly glad that the Fest is over. I'm exhausted and my lungs are full of dirt. I got to see some amazing things that made me deeply happy, but now I just want to sit back and chill out. Well, until I go see Nickel Creek this weekend and maybe the Killers tonight... ;)
Until next year, know that I will continue writing stuff on here about other music, and shows I see, and guesses for next year's lineup. So stay tuned!
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